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Armstrong, Neil Alden

(Encyclopedia) Armstrong, Neil Alden, 1930–2012, American astronaut, b. Wapakoneta, Ohio, grad. Purdue Univ. (B.S., 1955), Univ. of Southern California (M.S., 1970). A U.S. Navy fighter pilot during…

Pandora, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia) PandoraPandorapăndôrˈə [key], in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn XVII (or S17), Pandora is an irregularly shaped (nonspherical…

Atget, Eugène

(Encyclopedia) Atget, EugèneAtget, Eugèneözhĕnˈ ätzhĕˈ [key], 1857–1927, French photographer. After working as a sailor and then as an actor for many years, Atget became a photographer at the age of…

Kesey, Ken Elton

(Encyclopedia) Kesey, Ken Elton, 1935–2001, American novelist and counterculture figure, b. La Junta, Colo.; grad. Univ. of Oregon (1957), Stanford Univ. (1960). While a student he volunteered for a…

Kearney, Denis

(Encyclopedia) Kearney, DenisKearney, Deniskärˈnē [key], 1847–1907, American political agitator, b. Co. Cork, Ireland. He was a sailor and then a San Francisco drayman. When California suffered a…

Weather: Getting Down to Basics

Getting Down to BasicsWeatherWhat Should I Wear?Playing the OddsGetting Down to BasicsForecasting from the Beginning Although this introduction to weather forecasting may seem flip, it is meant to…

crescent

(Encyclopedia) crescent, emblematic representation of the quarter moon. The crescent and star, ancient Byzantine symbols that became the emblems of Constantinople, were also assumed as the standard…

Aristarchus of Samos

(Encyclopedia) Aristarchus of SamosAristarchus of Samosărˌĭstärˈkəs, [key]Aristarchus of Samosărˌĭstärˈkəs, sāˈmŏs [key], fl. c.310 b.c.–c.230 b.c., Greek astronomer and mathematician of the…

center of mass

(Encyclopedia) center of mass, the point at which all the mass of a body may be considered to be concentrated in analyzing its motion. The center of mass of a sphere of uniform density coincides with…

Brewer's: Shoot the Sun

(To). To take a nautical observation. “Unless a man understood how to handle his vessel, it would be very little use his being able to `shoot the sun,' as sailors call it.” —Notes and…